I’m looking to begin paramedic school next year and I was wondering what specific topics would be good to start learning about/brush up on in preparation for medic school. Any advice is appreciated!

Hello, I am a college freshman who as soon as I graduated high school, got NREMT certified and state certified. I am just starting out as an EMT and I am excited to learn a lot more about EMS in general.

Eventually, I wanted to work as an ER tech and I was wondering if I can get some advice on what I should do as an EMT right now and in the future to become an ER tech.

Thanks

Hey everyone I have been doing EMS for a little over a year now and have gotten very confident in my skill set, there is no more freaking out before calls and I’m very calm the majority of the time but a new issue has come about. I am constantly second guessing everything I am doing which about a month ago was not the case, I feel like I don’t do much on scene when in reality my partner is telling me I am doing a lot. My partner has explained to me she hasn’t had to scold me or give me criticism because I don’t do anything that warrants it. I work on an ALS rig as a basic and have been doing so for the past 6 months but I feel like I could be assisting at a higher level. I have only been working full time with my new partner for about 2 months now and I’m still trying to piece together what she wants done before her having to say it, I don’t know what to do and I guess what I’m trying to say is how long did it take you guys to stop doubting your contribution on scene and how do I go about not feeling this way. I like to think I’m a good basic but I just get in my head all the time.

pretty happy I resisted the urge to buy it until black Friday I got this bad boy for only $80.00.

Hey guys! I just got the Nancy Caroline’s Emergency Care in the Streets 9th Edition textbook pdf and wanted to see if anyone needs it for free, rather than spending hundreds of dollars on it. If you message me I can send you the link to the book. I also have some anatomy, physiology, ekg, and ATLS books if anyone wants them.

Will the proctor ask for a room scan more than once?

I just became CPR certified and I am interested in studying before I actually take my EMT class so I could be better prepared. I googled emt book and I noticed there is a free EMT book online on the official EMS website and it’s called “emergency medical technician – basic: national standard curriculum”. Does anyone know if this is a good book to study or is it outdated?

So the other day, we had a call where it was me driving, a paramedic, and my partner in the back with the patient. I pull into the hospital, and all of the bays are full with transport vehicles, and the space in front of the bays is blocked by another transport vehicle. There is one spot available, but it is only to be used if no other spots are open. Needless to say it's a tight squeeze to get in. While backing in, I backed into one of the yellow plastic clad pillars that separates the spots. I couldn't have been going more than 5mph. All of a sudden, I hear yelling from the back and I am being berated by the paramedic, who says that his unsecured monitor hit him in the side and broke his rib. I apologized profusely but he kept insulting me and called me an idiot in front of staff and the patient. My partner was unhurt and couldn't understand how the medic could have been so injured from such a low impact crash. The patient had not even realized we had hit anything. The police and my supervisor were called by the paramedic and I gave a statement. No tickets were issued and no disciplinary actions were brought against me. My supervisor said it was a very minor accident and even though it was my fault no damage was brought to the ambulance or the hospital's property.

Ever since the incident my anxiety has been flaring up. I have yet to see the medic since that call but I am dreading it as I believe he has a grudge against me.

Do you think his reaction was justified? From what I heard he requested the police to issue me a ticket and for my driving privileges to be revoked. I feel terrible for hurting someone but in all reality I just bumped a pillar with the rubber bumper strip.

Hi everyone,

I'm about to finish my EMT program, and I’m starting the job hunt! I’m located in central Indiana (Hamilton County) and am looking for a position within about 35 minutes of the area. I’m open to different jobs - 911, IFT, or even civilian EMT jobs with a fire department.

My long-term goal is to become a firefighter, though I’m still a few years away from being able to apply and don’t currently have any fire certifications. I’m eager to gain experience, build my skills, and get my foot in the door in the emergency services field.

If anyone has advice, knows of places hiring, or has insight into local EMS companies or departments, I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Edit - I'm pretty new to the area so I'm not super familiar with what services are good / bad.

Edit - I'm pretty new to the area so I'm not super familiar with what services are good / bad.

I am a FRESH EMT-B! Licensed end of October and started mid nov. just finished my field training sessions! As the title says I def want to go medic but I think I am finally understanding why most seasoned medics recommend being EMT for a year or so first. It’s not that I don’t kno what I’m doing. The “paperwork takes getting use to. I’m good with my patients, but feel like I’m apprehensive in what is expected of me. I’ll finally be starting with an assigned medic in a fulltime schedule on the 11th. Surely I’ll finally be able to get to kno a medic and their style/approach. My FTO was candid with me that I’m smart and kno more than the last 4 emt’s she was given to train but I need to work on my confidence. I can’t say I don’t get that! She said but that takes time. And now I think I get why everyone has said u should chill in the role for at least a year or more. When asked what I wish would be different in the training for my evaluation of them, my only thought was to have a separate day or two where we learn some of the equipment set ups and differences between sizes of catheter gauges to help anticipate what my medic may need. I kno a lot of that’s out of our scope but it’s not out of scope to assist in setting it up while they are able to be busy with the patient. Maybe that’s just something every medic does differently or personal preference. Idk. But my very first shift was a 3 car mvc where we flighted out two patients on separate choppers and I watched the medic decompress a chest for a hemo/pneumothorax. I had NO CLUE what needle to hand her! I did my best and everyone survived! But I hated that second of feeling dumb! In class we were told about it and what the medic would do but not shown which tools they would use or how to identify it. Sorry for the ramble! Just wanted to let other newbies kno what I’ve learned and validate the medics whom give the advice! Thanks for the advice and I do believe I will be following it!

Hi!

I am a former EMT from Germany and I will be moving to Fairbanks latest in April of 2025.

I did a lil internet search for programs etc and got a lil lost. I would appreciate some help for good schools/courses.

Thanks!

What are some good emt school in the houston area

So, I got out of the Navy recently. Have my NREMT and State License. Where I live, there's only one school that does a Paramedic program and they only start every August.

I am so tired of being an EMT, my scope of practice in the Navy was super advanced and I am basically capable of doing everything a Paramedic can do already.

However, due to the lack of programs in my area I am basically stuck waiting for August of 2025 to come around, and apparently this school has a massive wait-list.

Does anyone know of accelerated programs in northwest Florida or Northern Florida? Or programs that are hosted more then once a year?

Hey all - I just registered for Spring classes to get my EMT cert in Colorado. An IV class is offered and from my understanding allows me to start IVs under ‘direct supervision and authorization’. Is this something that is worth ~120 hours of lectures and some clinical rotations in the ER?

I recently finished my EMT classes in May 2024. After taking a few months off, I’m now looking to apply for a job with a private ambulance service. However, I’m feeling a bit worried that I might not meet the standards the job requires. Has anyone else felt this way when applying for jobs?

Hello,

Been struggling with drug names and trying to find a comprehensive list of all drugs we may encounter in the field. I want to make a quiz-let and start studying them. Looking them up as we go isn’t really working for me. I need to spend time studying them.

I recently completed my AIT for 68W (army healthcare specialist), and as such have my National Registry EMT. Has anyone been in a similar situation/know how I can get the necessary licensure to work in Ohio EMS?

Took the EMT class in August 2021 got a certification but did not take the NREMT.

Now i want to be an EMT but am wondering if I could just take refresher course, take the NREMT, and be good to go or if I have to drop another $2000 to get certified.

Im in Michigan.

For context, I ended up getting a different job in another field at the time but now I am looking into going to med school and want to become an EMT for clinical experience.

Based of this link, I am confused: https://www.nremt.org/Document/EMT-Re-entry-Pathway

Im on my 2nd of 4 ride outs in Dallas as an EMT intern and a guy coded after talking normally answering questions. Happened 2 hours ago i have to check HIPAA again cuz i dont remember what details are too much but i am 1 for 1 on CPR!!!

Yesterday i was nervous getting manual BPs and today i did compressions for 4 minutes till the engine got there and the person made it to the ER talkING! ROSC but the dude basically died twice-cant wait for medic school in the future!!!

Has anybody taken this program? How was it?

I recently got my EMT license back in September and am currently in Advanced EMT (AEMT) school. I work in patient transport, so I don’t get much 911 experience outside of clinicals. During a clinical last week, my preceptor gave me some feedback. He said I’m good with my skills overall and just need to build confidence when inserting needles quickly. However, he also pointed out that I need to improve my patient interaction, especially during assessments and initial contact.

It’s not that I don’t know what questions to ask—I do. The issue is how to ask them or how to engage with patients appropriately. Patient interaction feels awkward and unnatural to me, and I often lack confidence when approaching or speaking with them during assessments. I would’ve expected the extremely prestigious academy I attended to have honed this skill, but they didn’t (I won’t say where, but if you live in Georgia, you probably know which one I’m talking about). My current job doesn’t provide much opportunity to practice either, since we already know our patients (most have ESRD) and don’t perform assessments—we rely on the information in our system.

On a personal interaction level, like being friendly or making small talk, I have no issues. It’s the structured assessment part where I struggle. I really want to improve this skill before my next clinical. Do you have any advice on how to approach this and become more confident in patient assessments?

If you were at an educational seminar series and had a lecture from MDs (specifically hospital psychiatrists), what would be helpful to learn or what would you want answered around the topic of "on scene behavioral health crisis management, deescalation and safety"?

I want to know what would helpful to learn and not a waste of time?

So I’m not new to EMS, I have about 6 years overall and 1.5 years in as a medic, but I’ve been off for the entire last year to have/care for my children. That being said, holy crap, being a stay at home mom is exponentially more mentally taxing for me than being a medic, and I’ve put my mental health on the back burner for way to long, so I’m trying to go back to work just for a shift or two a week.

I’m absolutely crapping my pants.

Just as a medic I probably have around 1,000 calls under my belt but Jesus Christ I feel like I’m brand new out of class again. I am terrriifiied to start back up, and I’m in a whole new county to boot. I know the EMS gods are gunna punish me with the barrage of shit calls. I’m currently faking confidence. My orientation is next week. I’ve reviewed my protocols and stuff. Any ideas on how not to physically shit my drawers? Thanks.

I just heard back from an emt program I applied for in October and got called in for an interview this has been something I’ve been looking forward too for a very long time and something I really want for myself. What can I say or do that would help me out during an interview I’ve already gotten the prerequisites through fema and I just don’t want to fall short during the interview process.

As a guy I have kinda long and poofy hair and I’m worried that I’ll need to cut it short, are there any restrictions and if so what could I do to avoid cutting it?

I'm an EMT-B in LA county. I'd like to take an AEMT class and be certified for that before medic school but I can't find anything nearby. Is there a resource online to help me find the closest class? Google keeps directing me only to EMT-B classes

I’ll be completing my EMT-B course by the end of this year and looking to get some hands on experience while I work on getting into the fire service. However, the hiring process is so long and departments in my area aren’t hiring for a while. Best case scenario, I could get on in 1-2 years.

Would it be bad etiquette to try to get on a county ambulance service for 1-2 years while waiting to get into the fire department or should I only try to get on a third party ambulance or work as an ER tech?

I personally thought it would be ok but someone mentioned it would be wasting the money/time of the county service for them to onboard me and then I leave in a year or two. And that they wouldn’t want to hire someone that’s leaving within that timeframe. Thoughts?

I'm a new EMT and volunteer in a combined volunteer/career system while in college and have been feeling super frustrated lately. EMS has become a huge passion of mine and something I'm looking to pursue post college.

The station I volunteer at has been having a lot of issues with the quality of the EMTs we're producing. We have a lot of college students who are more here for the medical school patient care hours than to actually provide good care. The career staff has been super frustrated with our performance, especially the paramedics.

I don't want to fall into this category, but our call volume is relatively low (0-3 calls per 12 hour shift) and we have an abundance of EMTs (and not enough drivers) so we end up having one ambulance is service with two EMTs alternating being lead on calls. I can go weeks without being able to lead a call. In addition, we have four to an ambulance (driver, lead EMT, and two probies). Probies are unhelpful, stand there doing nothing on calls, and have no interest in training/learning.

It's really frustrating to be genuinely enjoy volunteering AND have the drive to become a great provider, but have these roadblocks. This is all hard to deal with on top of the fact I'm a new EMT leading calls.

I guess I'm just feeling super de-motivated and feel like I'll never become a good EMT with all these different factors. Does it get better? When do you feel like you become a solid EMT? Are there things I can do outside running calls to become more skilled?